


A Moment in Time

by Calzonafan2014



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-25
Updated: 2013-08-25
Packaged: 2017-12-24 13:43:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/940661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calzonafan2014/pseuds/Calzonafan2014
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Complete and total speculation about how rapprochement might take place a few months down the line including the use of all spoilers and speculation released to-date for season 10. The end is the beginning is the end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Moment in Time

Seattle Grace -- OR

“You know, I cheated on Cristina.” Owen suddenly said, breaking the tacit silence that had become the de facto standard in Callie’s OR.

Callie glanced up from repairing the compound femur fracture of the young woman before her, shooting Owen the look of death before resuming the challenging surgery. Owen didn’t take the hint.

“It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life. And that’s saying something. I know Cristina felt…”

“Do NOT tell me how Cristina felt.” Callie said, not bothering to look up as she completed the final stitch on the partially severed femoral artery.

“Everything you’re feeling, she felt it too. Believe me. But we worked through it. And if anything our relationship is stronger now than it was before.”

“Uh huh. That must be why you’re so happy together.” Callie said as she turned her attention to fixing a leg that she wasn’t entirely sure was salvageable. 

“The only reason we’re not together right this very second is because I want a kid and Cristina…doesn’t. You and Arizona, you have a child together. You want the same things. And I know you still love her or you wouldn’t be being such a giant pain in everyone’s ass.”

One of the nurses snorted at that one, and Callie attempted a glare, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

“Callie, I’m not saying I deserved to be forgiven. Who does? But then again, who doesn’t?”

Callie refused to look up at Owen; instead, she took a shuddering breath, focused on her patient, and tried desperately to maintain the solid ice encasing her heart. 

\------

It’d been a ridiculously long night, but with Sofia under the watchful eye of Derek and Meredith’s nanny, Callie wasn’t ready to return home to her quiet apartment and very empty bed. So without much thought, she found herself walking into Joe’s at just before midnight. She wasn’t in the mood for conversation, so she ignored the bar’s inhabitants, grabbed a stool in the far corner by the door and ordered up a double scotch and soda. No use pretending she wasn’t here to get her drunk on. 

At first she didn’t recognize the highly inebriated and belligerent voice at the other end of the bar demanding to be served. Which made some sense because in their entire relationship, she’d never actually seen Arizona plastered. Tipsy? Sure. But Arizona Robbins was a Type-A control freak. She didn’t do drunk. 

The stool crashing to the ground snagged Callie’s attention. She turned, and without thought was on her feet, ready to rush over until Arizona caught herself, self-consciously adjusted, and then began a drunk’s steady march towards the bathroom door. Unable to turn away, Callie watched her wife theatrically shove open the door and disappear. Turning to the bartender she tossed him a wry smile, shrugged, then pounded her drink and headed into the lion’s den.

\----

Arizona stared at herself in the mirror overlooking the sink in the dirty bar bathroom, desperately trying to figure out when and how her life had gotten so far out of her control. Her wife had been…stunning – breathtakingly beautiful at the gala. And instead of getting to touch her and dance with her and let everyone know that this was her woman, she’d been forced to watch from afar as some richy rich guy had blatantly ogled every inch of her wife’s impressive body. He’d practically salivated. And instead of flicking him off, Callie had laughed and flirted to the point that Arizona thought she was going to come out of her skin. She’d excused herself from the festivities just before everything had gone all to hell.

Lost in the bowels of her private pity party, Arizona didn’t notice the bathroom door open and close behind her until a quiet cough caught her attention. She looked up into the mirror and met the solemn gaze of her wife. 

Her heart sped up. A small tear escaped and she made a face, even as she attempted to ruthlessly scrub it away. Callie’s gaze didn’t waver even as she leaned back into the corner and crossed her arms over her chest. 

“Peds, right?” Callie asked. 

Their gazes remained caught in the mirror for a long beat as Arizona flashed back to that first meeting, so indelibly etched in her brain. 

“Callie Torres, ortho. I’ve seen you.” Snort. “A whole lot of you, and you seemed upset.” 

Arizona’s face scrunched up even as she carefully nodded her head, took a deep breath, and slowly turned to face her partner. 

“I messed up,” she began. “And I’m not sure that the most amazing, beautiful woman in the world is ever going to forgive me.”

Callie’s eyes flashed, even as she read the sincerity bleeding off her wife and she took a deep breath.

“Beautiful huh?” She asked. 

“Gorgeous.” Arizona immediately replied.

Callie quirked a brow, “Not dirty hot?”

Arizona shrugged and gave Callie a slow perusal, “Sexy.” She finally said. Then she looked into Callie’s eyes. “Pretty.”

Callie absorbed the impact of that last word, dropped her arms, pushed herself off the wall and took her first step towards Arizona. 

“You know, as a doctor, scar tissue is much stronger than regular tissue,” Callie said.

Arizona nodded, terrified to so much as blink should Callie disappear. 

“Broken hearts. They take a really long time to heal. But when they do, they have the power to be even stronger than before.” Callie stood directly in front of Arizona, reached up and brushed an errant hair away from Arizona’s face.

The kiss was soft, and light and Arizona wanted to grab on and never let go, but instead she stood stock-still and let Callie take full control. 

Callie finally ended the kiss and took a step back. She stood there silently for a long moment, staring intently at Arizona, who expected her to disappear just as suddenly as she’d appeared. Instead, she spoke.

“I was thirteen the first time someone called me dirty hot. I had filled out early and I didn’t even know what it meant.” She snorted at this old memory. “But I learned. I learned that it meant that most people didn’t see me as a…as a person, with feelings. All they saw was a, a body.” Callie’s eyes cleared and she looked directly at Arizona.

“And then I met someone. And for the first time in my life I felt beautiful.” Callie smiled fully for the first time in what felt like years, and then she laughed. She looked at Arizona, really looked at her, and the anger and venom encasing her heart melted ever so slightly.

Her smile turned indulgent. “You, Arizona Robbins, are beautiful. I hope you feel that way again soon.” And then she turned and walked out the door. 

Arizona stared after her, and the tears she had so ruthlessly tried to scrub away cascaded down her face in blessed relief.


End file.
